Third Time is Almost a Charm

If you've already read the first two, you might as well finish reading the series. 50 Shades Freed is no worse than the first two, and the sex scenes are more realistic. The plot is a "mystery" plot, and it's not very orginal, but it reads quickly. Overall, I was not overly impressed, and don't think I'll ever reread them, but I'm no worse off for reading them.

Published:
December 25, 2012

Pros:

Quick read, Kinky Sex

Cons:

Predictable plot, Not well written, Bad representation of BDSM dynamics

Fifty Shades Freed, the third installment in the series by EL James, follows the love story of Ana and Christian. While this story continues to have the kinky sex scenes that made the first two books so popular, the plot thickens and it is almost more of a mystery novel than a romance.

In that sense, the "twists and turns" are rather cliche and predicatable, with Ana doing the exact opposite of what Christian tells her. Low-and-behold, something bad happens and in the typical hero fashion, Christian arrives just in the nick of time to save the day and rescue the silly girl.

The drama between Ana and Christian is slso ridiculous and I found it rather annoying. I hated the "break-ups" and character reactions to one another; they made the characters seem child-like and bratty (and not the fun kind of bratty either).

Fifty Shades Freed is no different than the others when it comes to misrepresnting a BDSM dynamic and the true characheristics of a Dom. My biggest pet peeve throughout the whole series has been Christian's childhood abuse as the underlying cause for his dominance, which takes an even larger role in this novel compared to the others, just be prepared.

That being said, it does have some positive points. James' writing style has progressed; I was drawn into the story and read it rather quickly. The sex scenes were much more realistic than in the other novels, and there was one involving handcuffs that I just love and can't wait to incorporate into a play night with the hubby.

There is also an interesting few sections at the end, which are written from Christian's point of view. I can't necessarily say that I loved them or that they were written well, but I was impressed with James' courage in writing it. I find it difficult to write first person with the opposite sex, and applaude her attempt.

What it comes down to is this, if you are thinking of reading the third book, do it, just don't expect it to be any better than the first two. It's not good and it's not bad, it's just okay.

Follow-up commentaryI still don't like it3 months after original review

It's 50 Shades, so it is what it is. Nothing too exciting. The end of the book annoys me more now then it did when I first read it. Not horrible, but if you are in a D/s dynamic, prepared to be annoyed.

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